Three girlfriends and I stayed at this hotel for 8 nights. The four of us didn't plan out the trip and didn't book until last minute so we were a bit limited in what was available. This hotel was one of the few available for the dates we needed. If I go back to the island, I'd book in advance and stay at a condo or one of the eco-friendly B&Bs that I looked into. That being said, the hotel was solid and we enjoyed our stay on the island.
PROS:
1. The hotel is right in Kahalui and is only 5-10 minutes from OGG airport. All 4 of us flew in from different cities/states so it was nice to be able to run back to the airport to pick up and drop off people, if you so desire. The hotel has a free shuttle also.
2. It's located a couple blocks from the island's Costco, which if you have a membership and want to save money on food, GO! Maui is definitely expensive and even places like McDonald's were way more expensive than here in Oregon, but Costco prices were almost the same as at home. We had their $1.50 sausage dogs the first night for dinner. Cha-ching!
3. It's also close to a Safeway, and though still more expensive than "at home", groceries there were cheaper than the resort areas like Kihea and Lahaina. I spent about $50 at Safeway, bought a loaf of bread and peanut butter and jelly for sandwiches for the entire week, bought yummy coconut Greek Yoplait yoghurt (which I've never seen elsewhere), fresh fruit, etc and it allowed us the freedom to not have to find a restaurant for breakfast and lunch and yet still splurge on dinners.
4. It's a nice, central location on the island, so if you want to "do it all", it's a great place to loop back to after seeing the sunrise at Haleakala, checking out the beaches in West Maui, driving south to the beaches at South Maui, and driving the Hana Highway.
5. The room was clean, we had daily room service with fresh towels, linens, etc, and the beds were surprisingly comfy.
6. We had a nice view of the mountains, BAM!, right out our window. It's right on the beach on the other side, though not an incredible swimmable beach like much the western side of the island.
7. The staff were all very friendly and helpful, and it has an Expedia kiosk right inside the entryway. The gal there was incredibly friendly and booked a whale watching tour for a great price for us. She was also very informative.
8. It has a pool. Granted, we didn't even swim there since the beaches were all so amazing. It was nice to hang out there though for our brief moments of "down time".
9. Our room had a mini fridge and the hotel has an ice machine. Cool, right?! You might think this is stretching a bit, but it's not a foregone conclusion to have these "amenities". We bought a jug of incredible mango juice for $4 from Safeway and a huge bottle of coconut rum from Costco for $20. Hello inexpensive mini bar!
10. The grounds are absolutely immaculate with beach front access, a short beach to walk, a bench above the beach, a gazebo in the middle of their beautiful lawn, and a huge grassy area with palm trees that was always free of people.
11. We had AC but if we'd had a quieter location, I would have preferred to have the windows open since the weather is pretty perfect there this time of year (in the 80s during the day, dropping to low 70s at night). I'm from Eugene, Oregon, so it never felt humid to me, but if you're coming from Arizona, you might appreciate the AC.
CONS:
1. The pool closes at 5. Yes, 5 pm. 5 o'clock in the afternoon. So if you're coming back from the beach at 8 pm and want to still enjoy the incredibly warm evening breezes by the pool, that's a no go. Boo.
2. No in-room microwave. Really? Not even to heat water for oatmeal? Not cool. They had a safe in the room that was easily the same size as a small microwave. I ask you...which is more useful? And yes, I know this isn't a condo, but still...
3. The room is pretty small...definitely meant for a short term stay.
4. The price...can't say enough about the price being on the high side. We paid $175/night, including their 13% tax, which you'll have to pay for any legit lodging. For less than that, you can land a pretty darn nice condo right on a pretty darn nice beach.
5. No breakfast included, not even a bagel. This is definitely not a continental breakfast kind of place, or at least our room didn't include it. Breakfast was $13 per person, and the dining area was completely empty every time we passed it. I can't speak to their food as none of us was willing to pay that price. Would've been nice for them to at least throw in a continental breakfast.
6. It's right next to a fairly busy intersection so depending on your room location, be prepared for traffic noise, and a decent amount of it. I woke up the first morning from traffic noise, even though I'm not a light sleeper, and couldn't go back to sleep. This isn't the kind of place where you wake up to birds chirping and the sound of the ocean surf.
7. The location is actually also a con since it's not located
I'd say shop around and book early, but if you're in need of last minute lodging or just a place for the first and/or last night of your stay, this isn't a bad bet. It'll put you right close to the airport with convenient shuttle service.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
